How did you die?
by Syblime
Summary: Alison is intrigued by the deaths of her ghosts at Button House. However it is not something they want to talk about. Ensemble piece.


_Disclaimer: Ghosts is the genius of somebody else. I am just playing with the characters. All mistakes are my own. Unbeta'd._

_First time writing for this fandom, so I hope you like it. :)_

* * *

**How did you die?**

Alison stretched out in the double bed, looked at her phone for the time, then smiled and snuggled back down into the covers. Mike was at work and she had a day off. There was work to be done on the house of course, but that could wait until after ten. The ghosts would like that as well. She giggled. She was getting used to having them in the house and trying to take their opinions into consideration.

~X~

The Captain was waiting for her when she finally emerged in her dressing gown.

"You're late this morning. Something is dripping in my room."

So much for them being happy that she wasn't working on the house. At least they weren't coming into her bedroom as much.

"Which one is your room?"

"You ought to know that by now. First floor, furthest room on the right."

"The one Lady Button got pushed out of?"

"Yes."

"Captain, what's your story?"

"My what?"

"How did you…" Alison pulled a face that she hoped asked 'how did you die?' without actually saying the words. The Captain continued to look at her blankly. "I mean I know Pat was shot with an arrow by a scout. Humphrey sschwwt," she gestured across her neck with her hand, "Mary was burnt for being a witch. Or suspected of being a witch, or something. Lady Button was pushed out of the window by her scumbag husband, Thomas was shot and everybody knows what happened to Julian!" She chuckled. "But what about you? I'd assumed you were killed in action, but you must have died here." She looked at her ghostly companion, and found he was no longer walking with her. He was stood at the window. His posture was rigid as ever, but his eyes were glazed with a faraway look.

She walked over to stand beside him. Maybe he'd just seen someone coming up the driveway? "Captain?" He still didn't respond. "I'm sorry." She sighed and decided to make a cup of tea.

"Mary." She greeted as she walked into the kitchen. As the water boiled she thought about her ghosts. Thomas shot, Humphrey beheaded, Mary burnt. Was everyone _murdered_? Was that why they stayed? "Mary, was everyone here killed by someone else?"

"I don't knows."

"Red man! Red man!" Robin shouted, clattering down the hall. Alison put the water in the cup and followed him.

"Robin, how did you die?" She asked absently flicking through the leaflets and letters.

"Can't remember" he shrugged. "Flea maybe. Or bear." He scarpered off and Alison wandered back to the kitchen.

"Morning Alison," Pat greeted. "Are you having Rice Crispies again?"

"I likes hearing thems."

"I don't know." To be honest she didn't fancy Rice Crispies. "Pat, do you know why you've all stayed? As ghosts I mean." She lowered her tone, "were you all murdered?"

"No, it was an accident!" He stormed out.

"Sorry! I'm just curious." She called out.

"In answer to your question not all of us were murdered. I, myself, rather enjoyed…"

"Julian I've read enough about your death, I don't need any more kinky details!"

"Alright then I'll just say the words 'plague pit'. They weren't murdered."

"Ah."

"See, not just a pretty face!"

She sent a sarcastic smile in his direction. "So do you know what makes you stay?"

He winked at her and straightened his tie. "Only the best remain," but his point was rather let down by Humphrey's body wandering through the wall and then the table.

"What about the other ghosts? Do you all know how everyone died? Are you just keeping it from me?"

"We knows what wes saw."

"As the most recent addition…"

"Mary, what did you see?"

"Swans!" The ghost pointed out of the window and ran into the garden.

"Ughh! Why does nobody act normally round here?"

"Not as if we can, is it."

"Thank you Julian."

"Alright, alright, no need to get your knickers in a twist."

"I'm sorry, I just feel a bit stuck in the middle." She sipped at her tea. "What about Kitty? She'd tell me! KITTY!" Alison jumped up and went looking for her.

"I don't think she will." Julian sing-songed. He shrugged in his jacket and began to try and open the newspaper.

~X~

"I don't want to talk about it!" Kitty pushed past her – metaphorically anyway – and Alison was left wondering about the horrors of death that made generally cheerful people such as Kitty and Pat clam up. She went back to her tea, took a sip and screwed her nose up at the tepid liquid. How else could she find out about her ghosts? Robin would have been around for all the other deaths but he didn't seem to care. Mary was too easily distracted and talking to Humphrey's head was just unnerving. She couldn't imagine Lady Button spilling the beans on any of the others – no doubt inquiring into how people copped it would be unladylike. It was a shame Julian wasn't older. He'd have been happy to share gossip! Alison laughed imagining Julian in a Tudor hat with a large feather in it.

"You don't deserve our confidence if you are chortling over our misfortune." The Captain raised a scolding eyebrow at Alison.

"I wasn't laughing about that. It was… never-mind." She pushed the chair next to her out and patted it. He complied and sat.

"I was running a series of training courses for the Canadian soldiers stationed here. Drill, physical exercise, getting them familiar with the local area. They were all bright eyed and keen, and I became rather keen myself…" he paused for a second and looked down at the table "on one of the privates." His voice took on a dreamy quality. "He had thick chestnut coloured hair and green eyes. Nice arms. We had a few late-night rendezvous, here at the house. One night there was an air-raid and the commanding officer caught me on the premises. I had no purpose being there at night as I had a billet in the village. I left as quickly as I could. I had a driver at my disposal from the service corps. We were both killed at the end of the driveway. A bomb. He didn't stay. The other ghosts here can't go that far down the drive, so it was a while before I met them. I didn't go back to the house until the war was over. I… I didn't want to face my shame."

"Aww, Cap."

He stood and only turned back to her when he was at the door. "Knowing doesn't always help, Alison."

She smiled sadly at him. "No, but sharing might."


End file.
